diff --git a/src/json.hpp b/src/json.hpp
index a58d38a7c..e6bf9a404 100644
--- a/src/json.hpp
+++ b/src/json.hpp
@@ -91,6 +91,14 @@ SOFTWARE.
 */
 namespace nlohmann
 {
+// TODO add real documentation before PR
+
+// Traits structure declaration, users can specialize it for their own types
+// 
+// constructing a json object from a user-defined type will call the
+// 'json to_json(T)' function
+//
+// whereas calling json::get<T> will call 'T from_json(json const&)'
 template <typename T, typename = void>
 struct json_traits;
 
@@ -125,6 +133,7 @@ struct has_mapped_type
 };
 
 // taken from http://stackoverflow.com/questions/10711952/how-to-detect-existence-of-a-class-using-sfinae
+// used to determine if json_traits is defined for a given type T
 template <typename T>
 struct has_destructor
 {
@@ -184,6 +193,7 @@ struct DecimalSeparator : std::numpunct<char>
 }
 
 // taken from ranges-v3
+// TODO add doc
 template <typename T>
 struct __static_const
 {
@@ -1280,6 +1290,20 @@ class basic_json
         assert_invariant();
     }
 
+    // constructor chosen if json_traits is specialized for type T
+    // note: constructor is marked explicit to avoid the following issue:
+    //
+    // struct not_equality_comparable{};
+    // 
+    // not_equality_comparable{} == not_equality_comparable{};
+    // 
+    // this will construct implicitely 2 json objects and call operator== on them
+    // which can cause nasty bugs on the user's in json-unrelated code
+    // 
+    // the trade-off is expressivety in initializer-lists
+    // auto j = json{{"a", json(not_equality_comparable{})}};
+    // 
+    // we can remove this constraint though, since lots of ctor are not explicit already
     template <
         typename T,
         typename =
@@ -2647,10 +2671,13 @@ class basic_json
     // value access //
     //////////////////
 
+    // get_impl overload chosen if json_traits struct is specialized for type T
+    // simply returns json_traits<T>::from_json(*this);
+    // TODO add alias templates (enable_if_t etc)
     template <
         typename T,
-        typename =
-            typename std::enable_if<detail::has_json_traits<typename std::remove_cv<
+        typename = typename std::enable_if<
+            detail::has_json_traits<typename std::remove_cv<
                 typename std::remove_reference<T>::type>::type>::value>::type>
     auto get_impl(T *) const -> decltype(
         json_traits<typename std::remove_cv<typename std::remove_reference<
@@ -2659,6 +2686,24 @@ class basic_json
           typename std::remove_reference<T>::type>::type>::from_json(*this);
     }
 
+    // this one is quite atrocious
+    // this overload is chosen ONLY if json_traits struct is not specialized, and if the expression nlohmann::from_json(*this, T&) is valid
+    // I chose to prefer the json_traits specialization if it exists, since it's a more advanced use.
+    // But we can of course change this behaviour
+    template <typename T>
+    auto get_impl(T *) const -> typename std::enable_if<
+        not detail::has_json_traits<typename std::remove_cv<T>::type>::value,
+        typename std::remove_cv<typename std::remove_reference<
+            decltype(::nlohmann::from_json(std::declval<basic_json>(),
+                                           std::declval<T &>()),
+                     std::declval<T>())>::type>::type>::type
+    {
+      typename std::remove_cv<typename std::remove_reference<T>::type>::type
+          ret;
+      ::nlohmann::from_json(*this, ret);
+      return ret;
+    }
+
     /// get an object (explicit)
     template <class T,
               typename std::enable_if<
diff --git a/test/src/unit-constructor3.cpp b/test/src/unit-constructor3.cpp
index 3e025c154..cfe638673 100644
--- a/test/src/unit-constructor3.cpp
+++ b/test/src/unit-constructor3.cpp
@@ -68,6 +68,11 @@ private:
   std::shared_ptr<T> _val;
 };
 
+struct no_json_traits_type
+{
+  int a;
+};
+
 // free to/from_json functions
 
 json to_json(empty_type)
@@ -86,6 +91,22 @@ json to_json(bit_more_complex_type const& p)
   return json{{"a", to_json(p.a)}, {"b", to_json(p.b)}, {"c", p.c}};
 }
 
+template <typename T>
+json to_json(optional_type<T> const& opt)
+{
+  using nlohmann::to_json;
+  if (!opt)
+    return nullptr;
+  return to_json(*opt);
+}
+
+json to_json(no_json_traits_type const& p)
+{
+  json ret;
+  ret["a"] = p.a;
+  return ret;
+}
+
 void from_json(json const&j, empty_type& t)
 {
   assert(j.empty());
@@ -104,6 +125,11 @@ void from_json(json const&j, bit_more_complex_type& t)
         j["c"].get<std::string>()};
 }
 
+void from_json(json const& j, no_json_traits_type& t)
+{
+  t.a = j["a"].get<int>();
+}
+
 template <typename T>
 void from_json(json const& j, optional_type<T>& t)
 {
@@ -113,15 +139,6 @@ void from_json(json const& j, optional_type<T>& t)
     t = j.get<T>();
 }
 
-template <typename T>
-json to_json(optional_type<T> const& opt)
-{
-  using nlohmann::to_json;
-  if (!opt)
-    return nullptr;
-  return to_json(*opt);
-}
-
 inline bool operator==(pod_type const& lhs, pod_type const& rhs) noexcept
 {
   return std::tie(lhs.a, lhs.b, lhs.c) == std::tie(rhs.a, rhs.b, rhs.c);
@@ -141,6 +158,11 @@ inline bool operator==(optional_type<T> const& lhs, optional_type<T> const& rhs)
     return false;
   return *lhs == *rhs;
 }
+
+inline bool operator==(no_json_traits_type const& lhs, no_json_traits_type const& rhs)
+{
+  return lhs.a == rhs.a;
+}
 }
 
 namespace nlohmann
@@ -402,6 +424,16 @@ TEST_CASE("to_json free function", "[udt]")
       CHECK(expected == j);
     }
   }
+
+  SECTION("no json_traits specialization")
+  {
+    udt::no_json_traits_type t{42};
+
+    json expected;
+    expected["a"] = 42;
+    auto const j = nlohmann::to_json(t);
+    CHECK(j == expected);
+  }
 }
 
 TEST_CASE("from_json free function", "[udt]")
@@ -411,7 +443,6 @@ TEST_CASE("from_json free function", "[udt]")
     auto const expected = udt::pod_type{42, 42, 42};
     auto const j = json{{"a", 42}, {"b", 42}, {"c", 42}};
 
-    // i really dislike this output parameter
     udt::pod_type p;
     nlohmann::from_json(j, p);
     CHECK(p == expected);
@@ -450,6 +481,18 @@ TEST_CASE("from_json free function", "[udt]")
       nlohmann::from_json(j, o);
       CHECK(expected == o);
     }
+  }
 
+  SECTION("no json_traits specialization")
+  {
+    udt::no_json_traits_type expected{42};
+    udt::no_json_traits_type res;
+    json j;
+    j["a"] = 42;
+    nlohmann::from_json(j, res);
+    CHECK(res == expected);
+
+    res = j.get<udt::no_json_traits_type>();
+    CHECK(res == expected);
   }
 }